You probably asked yourself at one point – can you eat refried beans out of the can?
Perhaps you are thinking of using refried beans for a particular dish, or you simply want a quick thing to eat.
If so, then you might want to know whether it is indeed safe to eat refried beans or not. This way, you can prevent any health risks – in case there are – with this type of beans from a can.
Can You Eat Refried Beans Out Of A Can?
First of all, refried beans are already cooked. They are not raw when canned, since the canning process mainly involves heating beans. This helps to kill any active bacteria that may be in the beans, which is why there is no health risk at all.
On the other hand, beans that are not heated cannot be canned. Thus, each time you can the beans, they are 100 percent cooked to begin with.
Moreover, the FDA requires canned food to be well-cooked. The only exception, however, is with pickled foods. With this in mind, everytime you eat canned food, you can rest assured knowing that it is cooked and even ready for you to eat.
But if the food item stored in cans is raw, then you should be able to tell easily if it is bad. The smell from nasty bacteria will immediately let you know it is unsafe for you to eat.
When you cook food, bacteria are killed. Then, manufacturers seal the cans really well to prevent bacteria from going back to the food, through the air.
As a result, canned food can last for a long time. With the absence of bacteria, no external bacteria can ever access it. The only exception is with a damaged seal or a dented can. Hence, you should be wary of these things since the damage may cause bacteria to get into the food.
It is always a good idea to inspect the can thoroughly to make sure it is still intact and there are no dents or damage to it. This is a ways to ensure the quality of the food inside the can.
Preparing Canned Refried Beans
If you can safely eat canned refried beans without any problem, then you may be wondering why you need to rinse them.
In fact, many recipes will include in the instructions that you need to drain, rinse, and drain the beans once more. The reason for doing all of these is that the liquid has a starchy and salty flavor. These are used to preserve the beans and make sure they last a long time.
There is nothing wrong with eating beans with that starchy and salty liquid. In fact, a little amount should not be detrimental to your health. Yet, it is absolutely not the best thing to do for your body either.
With all these things in mind, you need to rinse the beans and be sure that all that liquid is gone. Rinse it and then reheat the beans or add to your menu before serving. These will further enhance the flavor of the food that can add to your enjoyment.
After all, beans straight out of the can may have a metallic taste. This is because of the can, obviously. So, if you want to eat these refried beans, just discard the liquid and rinse. Then, it should be good to go.
Open the can just a bit – enough for the liquid to pass through. Next, tip the beans into your colander, run under running water, and wait for the water to get clear. There may be some residue from the refried beans but it should be perfectly fine.
Eating Refried Beans From The Can
This is always a matter of personal preference whether you would rather heat the beans or not before eating them. Sometimes, a recipe may call for cold or warm beans, so it depends.
But you can also minimally heat the beans and add some cheese on top. In other cases, you can pour them onto your stews, soups, or curries. Another way to use refried beans is to blend them up until thick and smooth, then use as a dip such as hummus.
There are different ways to prepare refried beans, and it is ultimately up to you how you want to do it.
Basically, cans have a plastic lining that prevents food from creating some kind of a reaction with the metal. The inert is also sealed. Yet, once the can is warmed and opened, the lining is activated and can leach chemicals into your food.
This is why it is best to look for canned refried beans with BPA-free lining just to make sure there are no toxic chemicals. But you can also just rinse the beans to make sure there is none of the preservatives left, as well as any chemical component from the can.
Rinsing not only eliminates the chemicals from the can but also makes sure you are not consuming the starchy liquid that is not exactly the most pleasing to your tastebuds.
Conclusion
Refried beans are excellent for various dishes whether as a casserole, stew, soup, or blended up to create a smooth and creamy dip.
There are many ways to enjoy refried beans, and you can easily get these readily available at the store. It is only a matter of preparing them well before cooking or eating to make sure you get maximum satisfaction from it.
We hope that this guide on how to eat refried beans out of the can has been helpful. Now you know whether it is safe to eat or not, and what you can do to ensure your health and the flavor of these beans.
